


Grindr

by thatwriterlady



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Castiel had a crush on Dean too, Castiel owns a shelter, Crushes, Dean had a crush on Castiel in high school, Flirting, Fluff, Grindr, M/M, Making a date, Prompt Fic, Ten Years Later, They both still have a crush on one another, Video Game Mechanics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-25
Updated: 2016-06-25
Packaged: 2018-07-18 05:47:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7301881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatwriterlady/pseuds/thatwriterlady
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Based on the prompt at the very beginning.  Dean sees someone he knew from high school on Grindr.  Guy owns an animal shelter now, so Dean agrees to meet him there.  He comes out later with a newly adopted cat, and a date with a hot guy for Friday.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Grindr

**Author's Note:**

> This was a blast to write, and I hope you all enjoy it!
> 
> I also wanted to say, I could not, for the life of me find a website where I could make fake Grindr chat messages, so I had to use a FB one. I am not a man, therefore I do not have a Grindr account, and while I know OF the site (I have friends that are on it), I have never been on the site myself, so I'm not 100% sure of its inner workings. Still, I did my best, and hopefully you all get a kick out of this story.

[](http://www.pizap.com/image/707476471pizapw1466887025.jpg)  
[](http://www.pizap.com/u/707476471) [](http://www.pizap.com)

 

 

[](http://www.pizap.com/image/707476471pizapw1466887999.jpg)  
[](http://www.pizap.com/u/707476471) [](http://www.pizap.com)

 

“Hey, Sammy, guess who I found on Grindr! _And_ he lives here in the city!” 

Sam poked his head out of the kitchen, one eyebrow cocked in question.

“What are you doing on Grindr?”

“That’s not-” Dean pursed his lips in annoyance. “Shut up and guess.”

Sam stepped out of the kitchen, still drying the plate he’d been working on when his brother called him.

“I have no idea. Benny?”

“Ha ha. Well, he _is_ on there, but that’s not who I’m talking about. I’m talking from high school,” Dean said. Sam rolled his eyes. That was a hell of a lot of people to consider, and his brother was being extremely vague.

“I have no idea.”

“Castiel Novak.” Dean seemed a little shocked still by that, but he seemed a little excited too.

“Wait, the little nerd with the glasses and huge sweaters? The one that never looked like he brushed his hair?” Sam remembered Castiel. The guy was a shy nerd but really sweet and friendly once you got to know him. He had actually tutored Sam in math and history his freshman year of high school. Dean was nodding excitedly. 

“Yeah! I had no idea he was gay, did you?”

Sam shrugged. He sure as hell had never taken Castiel for straight, but he’d also not been thinking about the guy’s orientation either. He’d been concentrating on passing his classes so he didn’t have to take summer school.

“I don’t know, I never really thought about it. I never took him for straight though. What’s he up to now?” 

Dean went back to looking at his phone. “Says he owns a shelter. An animal shelter. Lives here in town. He’s single. Looks like he put some height on too. In high school he barely came to my shoulders. He’s almost as tall as me now.”

Sam went back to put the plate in the cabinet, but when he returned to the living room he sat down next to his brother.

“If I remember correctly, you had a crush on him.”

Dean’s cheeks immediately tinged red and he scowled at his brother.

“So what if I did? He was adorable. Biggest freaking blue eyes I’d ever seen.”

Sam chuckled. “He liked you too. At least, I thought he did cause whenever he was at the house helping me and you walked in the room he’d stop talking mid-sentence just to watch you. You seriously never noticed?”

Dean felt stupid now for not seeing what his brother saw. “I was busy trying not to get my ass kicked.”

Sam’s expression was one of sympathy and understanding. “I know. But he’s out now?”

Dean shrugged. “He’s on a dating site, but that doesn’t mean he’s out. Should I contact him?”

Sam nodded. “Yeah. At the very least, see how he’s doing and what he’s been up to.”

Dean chewed on the inside of his cheek for a moment. It was just talking, right? Castiel might not even remember him. Taking a chance, he sent a message. To his surprise and delight, Castiel wrote back almost immediately, and they started a conversation.

[](http://www.pizap.com/image/707476471pizapw1466886393.jpg)  
[](http://www.pizap.com/u/707476471) [](http://www.pizap.com)

Dean smiled to himself. Of course he remembered Castiel. Of all the people they’d gone to school with, Castiel was one of the few people he found himself wondering about years later. He quickly wrote back.

 

[](http://www.pizap.com/image/707476471pizapw1466886452.jpg)  
[](http://www.pizap.com/u/707476471) [](http://www.pizap.com)

Dean’s stomach did a flip. Was Castiel asking him out? He swallowed hard and replied.

[](http://www.pizap.com/image/707476471pizapw1466886514.jpg)  
[](http://www.pizap.com/u/707476471) [](http://www.pizap.com)

Dean found himself agreeing to meet Castiel at the shelter at three the following day. Two was the earliest that he could get off work and he wanted time to go home and take a shower before he went to the shelter. He was more than just a little excited. Forgetting all about Sam, he got up and left to go pick out something to wear. No doubt Castiel was even better looking than he had been back in high school, and Dean wanted to show that he too had done a lot of growing up since then. He fished through his closet until he found his favorite band tee. It was one he wore on the rare occasions Charlie dragged him out to the clubs because it was form fitting and showed off his muscles without making it look too much like he was showing off. He had a great pair of jeans too that showed off his ass, so he grabbed them as well. He’d leave work, head back here and take a nice, hot shower, make himself presentable before he headed to the shelter. Just in case, he decided to take his allergy medicine. He’d take more before he left tomorrow. Satisfied that he had picked out the right outfit, he grabbed his laptop. He was in the mood for a little Netflix.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day was a nightmare. All Dean could do was look at the clock, so rather than injure himself working on cars he decided to handle some paperwork. He met with a new client to discuss the work she was going to need to restore her car and got her set up with an appointment for the following Monday for Victor to do her brakes, and then Wednesday she’d drop the car off so his team could rebuild her transmission. She left at ten to two. Dean went to make sure Benny knew he was heading out and probably wouldn’t be back before the end of the day, and that he was to go ahead and close shop at five.

The drive home took longer than Dean would have liked, but once he was there, he headed straight for the shower. Sam was at work and wouldn’t be home until later, so he had the whole place to himself. That meant his brother couldn’t tease him unmercifully for being so eager to go and meet with Castiel. He didn’t care though. It had been ten years since he had seen those crystal blue eyes up close, and he was dying to do so again. 

After his shower he took his time shaving and getting dressed. He didn’t expect sex, and he didn’t want it either, but he still wanted to look good and smell good, so a little bit of aftershave and a quick styling of his hair and he was ready to go. With a silent prayer that Castiel was still the nice guy he had been years ago, he left to make the drive to the shelter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The shelter was a small building, set apart from the strip mall next door, and it had a parking lot of its own. The hand painted sign out front had an adorable cartoon dog and a lazy looking cartoon cat, and it brought a smile to Dean’s face. Heaven Sent Sanctuary and Shelter. A no-kill facility. Dean liked the place even more. It meant Castiel and his staff must work extra hard to find loving homes for every single animal that came through their door. As he pushed open the front door, a little bell hanging above it jingled. A blonde girl behind the counter looked up and smiled.

“Hi, how are you today?” she greeted him.

“I’m good, thanks for asking.” His eyes were taking the little lobby in. Even inside the place was quaint and just so... _Castiel_. Someone had painted a beautiful mural along the back wall of happy animals, everything from dogs and cats to turtles, rabbits, and birds. 

“Can I help you? Are you looking to adopt?” she asked. He turned to face her. Her name tag identified her as Claire.

“Oh, no, I’m actually here to see Castiel.” He smiled politely.

“Can I get your name?” 

“Dean Winchester,” he replied. She nodded and picked up a phone, no doubt calling Castiel in his office. While he waited for her to let his old classmate know he was there, he looked around the lobby again. A table stood across from the front counter with a variety of items sitting on it. They were all for sale. He guessed they were donations the shelter was unable to use, or felt they could raise more money by selling to obtain the items they really needed. Even if things didn’t go well today, he wasn’t going to leave without making a generous donation. The animals deserved it.

“Dean?”

He turned around at the sound of his name, and it was like the air was punched right out of him. The tiny profile picture on Grindr didn’t do this man justice at all. Castiel was no longer the tiny boy that hid beneath the large sweaters and looked to be perpetually in need of a haircut. No, Castiel had grown up to become a God. The black rimmed glasses were gone and now Dean found he had an unobstructed view of those blue eyes he had been so crazy about all those years ago. The once too-long hair was now cut shorter, though it was still unruly. It worked for the man and just added to the sex appeal. And that body….

Dean refused to stare and seem like an asshole, so he simply smiled as he crossed the room. At first he was unsure what to do, but Castiel pulled him into a hug and he happily hugged the man right back.

“Wow, it’s so good to see you! You look great,” Castiel said.

“Thanks, so do you.” 

“I was thinking of ordering in lunch. Did you have a preference or a taste for anything in particular?” Castiel motioned for Dean to follow him through a door marked Employees Only, and they started walking.

“No, not really. I’ll eat just about anything,” Dean replied. Castiel’s smile was soft and shy. So some things hadn’t changed. Dean liked that.

“How do burgers sound?” Castiel led him into an office and motioned for him to sit in one of two comfortable looking seats. Dean expected him to sit down behind the desk but instead he sat down in the chair next to him.

“Burgers sound great. My aunt has a place a few blocks from here, and they deliver. The Roadhouse.” 

“Oh, I love their food! I didn’t know your aunt owned it!” Castiel exclaimed. “We’ll order from there then.” 

Dean watched the man place the call, only speaking up to tell him what kind of burger he wanted. As soon as the call ended, Castiel was looking at him again, that soft smile returning to his lips. He was absolutely gorgeous. Dean found himself wondering what Castiel thought of him.

“So, what have you been up to all these years? When did you leave Lawrence?” Castiel asked.

“Oh, let me see. I left for college right after high school, went to UIC in Chicago. After that, I returned to Lawrence, but I felt like I was suffocating there. I couldn’t be myself. My parents knew I was gay but my dad was scared something bad would happen to me, so he called up my uncle and asked him if he had any openings at the shop, since what I wanted was to work on cars. My uncle, he doesn’t have any kids. He’s a widow. But he met Ellen about ten years ago and they dated forever before they finally got married. She came with a daughter, my cousin Jo, but Jo is going to take over the Roadhouse. She doesn’t work on cars, wants nothing to do with them, so my uncle called me up about six years ago, asked me if I wanted to come work for him. I said yes, and last year he gave me the place.” Dean replied. Castiel listened with rapt attention, his blue eyes locked on Dean’s own green ones as he talked.

“I moved here right after high school. My brother won the lottery, and I convinced him not to blow all his money. I talked him into buying himself a house, and I moved up here to stay with him. It turns out he’s a pretty smart guy, and he invested most of the money, doubled his fortune. He put me through college and then bought me this building. I have worked hard to make it what it is today. It hasn’t been easy, but it was definitely worth it. It was already a shelter, but a pretty pathetic one. I upgraded everything, hired new staff, and retrained everyone. It runs like a well oiled machine now, and we see more adoptions per year than any other shelter in the state. People come from miles away to adopt. Unfortunately that means we’ve also had an increase in the number of animals that get surrendered to us. It pains me to have to turn some of them away, simply because we don’t have the room and I don’t have any foster families available. I’ve been at this for about six years now, and I really feel like I’ve accomplished something good here.” Castiel was clearly proud of his little shelter. 

“I always knew you’d do something meaningful with your life. I am very impressed.” Dean meant that, too. Castiel had always been the type of person to reach for the stars, and that’s exactly what he was doing.

“Would you like to see the entire facility?” Castiel asked. Dean smiled and nodded.

“Absolutely.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Castiel led Dean out of the office and through another door. Even before they stepped through it the sound of barking dogs filtered up to them. The noise was overwhelming as they stepped into the kennel area and Dean could see why. A young man was busy hosing out kennels and filling water dishes.

“Kevin, I’d like you to make sure Sadie gets her three o’clock pill, please.” Castiel said. The young man nodded.

“You got it, boss.”

Castiel turned to Dean and smiled. “These are the dogs currently available for adoption. We work with each one to address whatever issues they might have so that they may find their forever home.” Dean peeked into each kennel, smiling at the happy, healthy-looking dogs inside them. There were more than a few pit bulls, but he saw other breeds as well, and some whose mix he could only guess at. The kennels were clean, the dogs had food and water, and they all looked well groomed. That took a great deal of love and patience. Dean crouched down in front of one cage.

“Can I pet him?” 

“Absolutely. That’s Abner, he’s been here a long time, but he’s a sweet boy. He’s getting up there in age now, but he still has a lot of love to give. Usually he is lounging in my office during the day, but I had some things to get done today and I didn’t want to trip over him,” Castiel replied. Dean reached his fingers through the gate, and Abner’s tail began wagging excitedly as he licked at them.

“What kind is he?” Dean asked.

“He’s a shepherd mix. We’re not sure what he’s mixed with. I keep hoping someone will adopt him.” Castiel sighed heavily. Dean understood that it must be a tremendous burden when a dog didn’t get adopted but ended up lingering here as if in some kind of purgatory. It wasn’t quite hell, because they were treated very well here, but it wasn’t the heaven that came from having a family of their own. That broke Dean’s heart just a little bit. He scratched Abner’s head just a little while longer before they moved on. There were pumps on the wall filled with hand sanitizer, and Dean stopped to use some before they stepped into the next room. This room was quiet. The walls were lined with cages, almost all of which the doors stood open. Cats walked around everywhere. A plump tabby sauntered over to them and rubbed along Dean’s leg. 

“This is the cat and small animal room, as you can see. During the day we don’t lock the cats up. We let them socialize and enjoy the sunshine.” Castiel pointed out the window seats where at least twenty cats lay sunbathing. 

“Now that’s cute. Have you had photographs done to capture that? I bet you’d see a rise in adoptions if people saw them all lying like that with the sunlight washing over them like that,” Dean asked.

“We’ve had individual pictures taken, but I think your idea is a very good one. I’ll have to grab the camera later and take some new ones, put them up on the website,” Castiel said. Dean looked around the room and saw several rabbit cages as well as one with guinea pigs. He was surprised the cats weren’t messing with them. The tabby had wandered off and now a rather plump orange and white cat was pawing at Dean’s arm from a nearby counter. It was doing so gently, no nails extended, and he turned around to pet it.

“Hey, buddy, how are you?” He scratched behind the cat’s ears, and it immediately began purring.

“That’s Mr. Cuddlekins. He’s been here much too long now. No one wants him because he’s a bit on the tubby side. He’s a wonderful cat though, very sweet and very friendly. He’ll sleep in your lap all day if you let him, and he greets you at the door much like a dog would. And he loves people.” Castiel was talking animatedly about the cat, and it made Dean chuckle.

“If I didn’t know any better I’d say you were trying to get me to adopt him.” 

Castiel tilted his head, peering up at Dean through long, dark lashes in a way that had every nerve in Dean’s body suddenly sparking to life.

“Is that so bad? He does need a good home.” Castiel stroked his fingers through the cat’s thick fur, brushing occasionally over Dean’s own hand and sending electric shocks through Dean’s entire body.

“Uh, I like cats just fine, but I’m kind of allergic.” Dean’s voice wavered and he internally kicked himself.

“I am as well. I take allergy medicine.” Castiel’s fingers slid over Dean’s own and stopped moving. Dean’s stopped as well.

“I take something now, but I’m a bit itchy still just being in here,” Dean admitted.

“You need something stronger, that’s all. And one cat as opposed to a room with thirty is a lot easier to deal with,” Castiel argued.

“How many do you have, Cas?” Dean asked. 

Castiel smiled softly. “Five. But they’re all elderly and would have simply sat here until they died. Living with me, they get extra treats, love and attention they oftentimes miss out on here. I only get so many volunteers that come in to spend time with the cats or walk the dogs.”

“Is Kevin a volunteer?” Dean wondered.

“He began as one. Started coming in a couple of years ago, but he’s such a hard worker and cares so much about the animals that I hired him on. He works here in between his college classes,” Castiel replied.

The cat; _Mr. Cuddlekins_ stood up on his hind legs and stretched up to pat Dean’s cheek gently as he meowed.

“He is asking you to pick him up,” Castiel said. As much as Dean liked practically holding hands with Castiel, he reached down to lift the tubby little cat up.

“You’re a big boy, aren’t you?” Dean cooed. The cat’s purring grew louder as he rubbed his head against Dean’s chin. “How could no one want a handsome boy like you?”

“He’s sweet, right? I don’t know how he keeps getting passed over, time and again. He’s so affectionate. Give him a sunny window, and he’s content to just lay there and sleep.” Castiel moved closer, almost within kissing range and looked up at him as he reached out to pet the cat again.

“It’s not much to adopt, and he already is neutered and has his shots. Does your apartment permit pets?” he asked.

“I own my own house. I live alone but my brother is in town visiting,” Dean replied. Mr. Cuddlekins flipped onto his back in Dean’s arms, his purring growing even louder as Dean continued to run his fingers through his fur. “He’s a character. I’ve never owned a pet before.”

Castiel’s eyes widened. “Really? As a child I had frogs and geckos, and at one point my sister Naomi had a tank of fish, but she didn’t want them, so she gave them to me. Once I went to live with my brother I got my first cat, an elderly boy named Sergeant Pepper that I adopted. He was already thirteen but was such a wonderful cat. I had him four years before he passed away. I’ve had several more since then, and I’ve loved each and every one of them.”

“I always kinda thought I’d want a dog, but I suppose a cat is lower maintenance.” Dean was having a very hard time resisting the blue eyes staring up at him. Bastard worked the puppy dog eyes better than Sam did.

“There are a lot of good years left in Mr. Cuddlekins. He’s twelve now but with a little exercise, he could lose the extra weight, and he’s very healthy.”

Dean really, _really _hoped he didn’t come to regret this.__

__“How much is it to adopt, and what do I need for him?”_ _

__~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_ _

__An hour later Dean was walking in the front door of his house, a cat carrier in one hand, six bags from the pet store in the other. And there was still more crap in the car to get. Sam heard the noise as Dean dropped bags on the living room floor and came out of his room to find his brother standing amid the mess he had just made._ _

__“Uh, what’s all this?” Sam caught sight of a package of sparkly balls and grinned. “Did you...adopt _a cat_?”_ _

__“Shut up, Sammy,” Dean growled. “I have to go get the rest of the stuff out of the car.”_ _

__“Wait, wait, wait, I thought you went to go and see your high school crush? How did _this_ happen?” Sam bent down to see the cat inside the carrier. It was cute._ _

__“It’s been ten years, ok? Dude is freaking _hot_! And he works the puppy dog eyes better than you ever could, and I didn’t think that was even possible. He sort of just...talked me into it. I’ll have to talk to my doctor about getting allergy shots, but it was all worth it. I have a date tomorrow night.” Dean was proud of that fact. When he had asked Castiel out there had been no hesitation at all on the other man’s part. In fact, he had been very quick to say yes. _ _

__“So what’s the cat’s name?” Sam stood up and looked at his brother, grinning when he saw how hard his brother was blushing._ _

__“Mr. _Cuddlekins_.” Dean ground out. Sam burst out laughing._ _

__“Oh, that’s just awesome!” He laughed so hard his belly ached._ _

__“Shut up and go get the cat stand out of the trunk, ok? It’s in pieces and needs to be put together.”_ _

__“Sure, Dean. And you can cuddle your widdle kitty kat,” Sam teased as he headed for the door._ _

__“Shut up, bitch,” Dean growled. That just made Sam start laughing all over again. As he walked out the door he shouted a single word over his shoulder._ _

__“Jerk!”_ _

**Author's Note:**

> I laughed my way through the conversation at the end with Dean and Sam. That was a blast to write. I hope you enjoyed this. Comments are always welcome!


End file.
